Why Naruto Should Never Play Cards
by If You Know What I Mean
Summary: “You’ve got one chance to redeem yourself Naruto. Do this for us, and we’ll consider your price fully paid.” After losing a bet with Kiba, Naruto’s got some debts to pay. But the boys are willing to let it slide…if only he’ll woo the famous Uchiha Sasuke
1. Kiba's Observation

The Bittersweet Taste of Victory

"You've got one chance to redeem yourself Naruto. Do this for us, and we'll consider your price fully paid." After losing horribly in a bet with Kiba, Naruto's got some debts to pay. But the boys are willing to let it slide… if only he'll woo the infamous Uchiha Sasuke.

Chapter 1

The Bet

Naruto glared at the cards in his hand, blaming them for his trecherous losing streak. It was nearly his 10th game, and he'd lost almost everything valuable he owned. And as soon as he saw Kiba's menacing smile, he knew that this game would end no differently. He growled once before letting out a dejected sigh. "I fold…"

"Ahhh, had enough yet Naruto? Shino and I were just getting _started_!" Shino just kept quiet, letting his partner do all of the talking. "Well then, now that you've lost, what? 11 times in a row? It's time to see what you owe us…" Kiba glanced down at a small sheet of paper. "Alright, it says you owe us $407.54, all of your jewelry-"

"THEY'RE NOT JEWELRY, you damn dog! They're called men's ACCESSORIES!!!" Kiba just smirked, scanning further down the list.

"Anyway, the next thing on the list says… that we have the right to burn anything orange that you may own, be it that horrid sweatshirt you're wearing right now, or an orange blanket, it's our choice. And the next thing is…" Kiba looked up at Naruto, an evil, ominous smile curling over his lips. "And the next thing is that we get full access… to your _diary_!"

Sakura, who had been sipping on green tea only a few seats over looked incredulously at Naruto. "And why in the world would you bet a thing like that Naruto?! That's absurd." Naruto flushed at her comment.

"Yea, well, unlike you, I don't _have_ anything else to bet! So… go finish your stupid girly drink elsewhere, okay?!"

"Sheesh, are you sure you aren't PMSing Naruto? You don't have to get so defensive!" Sakura said cooly, sliding off the stool to walk over to the rest of their card group. "Hey, Kiba, Shino… What else did this sucker lose?"

Kiba laughed mercilessly as Naruto buried his head in his arms which were resting on the table. God, this was so embarassing! "Well, there's not much else… It just says that he has to be our slave for a day."

"I don't think I've ever heard of betting something like that Naruto." Sakura said.

Naruto blushed again in chagrin, lifting his head slightly to glare at her. "Yeah, well, whatever!"

"Hahaha, you're funny Naruto! A real laugh. But now that I'm looking at your debt… I don't think you'll be able to pay all of it. I mean, do you even own 407 dollars?" Naruto shook his head which was still laying down in the crook of his arms. "Well then… we have to figure something else out then… won't we Shino? I mean, we can't just let you go on your merry way without paying us. Let's see… what would be the perfect payback…?"

"Oi, dobe!" A voice called from behind the four students. They all turned to see one Uchiha Sasuke walking up to their table.

"Great," Naruto hissed. "Not only to I have to be humiliated in front of Sakura, but Sasuke too? Damn, I have sadistic friends." Kiba chuckled at this, watching the scene with sudden curiosity. He was beginning to form an idea.

"What do _you_ want teme? You going to rub it in my face too?"

"Rub _what_ in your face, baka?" Sasuke asked, finally reaching Naruto's side. He promptly ignored everyone else, not even bothering to give a nod of acknoledgement. "All I came over here for was to see if you'd mind sparring with me. Since I missed yesterday's practice, I need to make-up for it."

"Why not challenge Sakura?" Naruto questions, already feeling mentally worn-out because of this stupid bet thing.

"Because I need a challenge when fighting." Sasuke rolled his eyes as if it were the most obvious thing.

"HEY!" Sakura shouted, slumping into a stool to pout.

"No offense," he added as a last minute thought. This seemed to appease her though.

"No problem!" she chirped brightly. Naruto grimaced at her easily dampened temper. If Sasuke had said something like that to him… he wouldn't be able to sit for a week he'd have kicked his ass so hard. Hmm, maybe this is what Sasuke was talking about.

"So, will you?" Naruto thought for a moment. It was either spar with the bastard, go back home to an empty house… or listen to Kiba's unending torture ideas. Maybe a spar would do him some good.

"Sure, why not. I'll be there in a sec." Sasuke nodded, heading off towards the training fields. Naruto turned back in his seat and slapped some money down on the table. "This is for my ramen. I'm leaving." He announced.

"Ah ah ah… Not so fast… Naruto-_chan_. I've thought of your new payment."

Naruto cringed, bracin himself for the horrors he knew were going to come.

"I've decided that you, Naruto Uzumaki, have to woo the one and only… Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto fell back in his chair, clattering to the ground.

"WHAT?!?!?!" he shouted, springing back up to look the others helplessly in the eye. Kiba smirked evilly again, Shino's reaction wasn't visible, and Sakura was suspiciously remaining quiet. Something… was seriously wrong with these people.

"You've got one chance to redeem yourself Naruto. Do this for us, and we'll consider your price fully paid." Naruto was stunned. He could either pay them back, go with their second decision and _woo _the _Bastard_… or… he _could _back out. The first one was out of the question, along with the last. He couldn't pay them back even if he wanted to. And he never backed out of a challenge. Then that would mean…

Damn.

"Alright… I'll do it… But there's got to be a time limit. I'm not going to be playing this farce for ever." Kiba nodded in agreement.

"Fine. One month. That's all I'm going to make you do. One month." Kiba paused. "_But, _in this month, you must pass the criteria. You _must_ 1) kiss him. With his consent Naruto. No forcies. 2) admit your feelings for him… a.k.a. love, if you're really that dense. And 3) get him to admit _his feelings_ for _you._ Got it?" Naruto gulped, but kept all dry comments back. Now would not be the time to argue with Kiba. He did, afterall, hold all of the cards in this situation.

"Right then, your challenge starts…" Naruto breathed heavily, preparing his mind for the long… long month that he was going to undergo. Wooing Sasuke? Impossible. He'd had fangirls chasing him his entire life and he hadn't ever given them the time of day! Now factor in that Naruto's a guy, and you'd think that this was impossible. Naruto sighed.

But he'd already agreed. There was no backing out now. He was just going to have to do it.

Whether he like it or not.

"Now."

Yes yes, short chapter I know. But the parents are making me go to bed. So I've got to cut it off here. Anyway, check in Wednesday for the next chapter of The Bittersweet Taste of Victory!

**Kimi**


	2. Kiss Gone Awry

Ahhh, hehe. Yea, you see, about the title thing. Originally, I was going to have it named The Bittersweet Taste of Victory… but once I submited the document, I thought that The Bittersweet Taste of Victory was a bit of an angsty title for a humor fic. So I changed it. Anyway, yes, the real name of the story is Why Naruto Should Never Play Cards. So yes… sorry about the confusion.

**Kimi**

Why Naruto Should Never Play Cards

Chapter 2

Sasuke POV

I callapsed into the grass, chest heaving as I regained my breath. Even though Naruto lost the match, I had to give him credit. He was getting a lot better than when I had first met him. In fact, his first real matches that he somehow managed to win were won not by his ninja skills but by his unnatural ability to undo people's masks… and by sheer dumb luck of course. But now that he'd been training lately, I could literally feel the difference. Naruto sighed and layed down in the grass next to me, looking totally worn-out and defeated.

"Come on dobe. It was just a little match. Nothing to get so depressed over." Naruto grunted, obviously not taking a word of my advice. His face was contorted into something I recognised as concentration, which was rare for the little blond. "Hey…" I prodded softly. "What's on your mind."

Naruto's cheeks flared as he swallowed hard, turning his head away from me. "……Nothing." I raised my eyebrow at him, leaning back into the grass in an attempt to look him in the face.

"Nothing? Are you sure? You're not acting like it's nothing." Why was I so concerned anyways?

"It's nothing… I just…" he paused. "Lost a bet with Kiba and Shino."

I sighed in frusteration. Was that really all? He had gotten my worried for nothing. "You're such a baby Naruto. Can't take a stupid loss. What do you owe him now? A couple dollars?" Naruto shook his head slowly.

"I wasn't able to pay the full amount of my loss… So I have to repay them in a different way." His voice was oddly quiet.

"Look, Naruto, you're not usually the brooding, mysterious one. That's my job. So stop acting all sulky and bitchy like Sakura does when it's 'that time of month' and get over it already. I mean, I'm sure what they're making you do isn't that bad." I waited for his response. It couldn't be that bad, could it? I mean, this is dog-lover and bug-boy we're talking about here. The first literally has the mind capacity of one of his annoyingly stupid pets and Shino is a dumbass when it comes to things like streetsmarts. Neither have the ability to make Naruto do anything truly awful.

"… right." Naruto finally said, slowly rising from his position on the ground. "Well, I'm going to go home and have dinner now. See you tomorrow."

"Hey! Wait!" I called sitting up quickly and jogging a few steps to fall in sync with him. "Weren't you just at Ichiraku's? Why are going to eat dinner now when you've already had it? Couldn't you just… you know… stay here for a while?" What the hell was I saying? Let him go already!! Let him get on his damn merry way and DON'T TRY TO STOP HIM!!!

"Mm? Oh, yeah, right. Um, look, How about you and I just… meet back together here tomorrow. 8:00 sound good. Great." He didn't even give my time to respond before stalking away into the moonlight.

"8:00…" I repeated to myself. "I'll be here."

Naruto POV

I awoke to the monotonous beeping of my alarm clock, the feeling of anger already creeping through my viens. I hated being woken up by that thing. Why had I even set it? What did I really need to be up this early for anyways? I mean… really. My daily training didn't start until nine, so why the _fuck_ would I have set my alarm clock for 6-_freakin'_-30?!

Wrenching my hand out from underneath the covers of my oh, so warm bed, I began to feel around the end table for the 'sleep' button on the alarm clock. As soon as I was sure I'd found it, my hand brushed over something that felt like paper. I let out a frusterated sigh and forced myself to sit up in bed to see what the hec this was. Grabbing on to the torn sheet of paper, I read writing that, oddly enough, looked like my own.

_Meet Sasuke down at the training grounds. 8:00. Don't forget the bet._

_-Naruto_

"I know myself too well." I grumbled, sliding out of bed. The thoughts of the bet were not something I had been planning on waking up to. In fact, I thought I had decided to completely forget about it unless Kiba or Shino asked. Then I would just play innocent and act like I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. Maybe I could still follow that plan.

Either way, I still had to meet Sasuke for training. Finally, I clicked the alarm clock off and trudged to the bathroom to make myself at least somewhat presentable.

----------------------

It was now 8:15 and I was officially late. Sasuke was already there, slumped back against the tree… and… was he sleeping? I walked a little bit closer just to double check. And, sure enough, the Uchiha was sound asleep. I laughed. Unlike all of those sappy stories where they say people look really peaceful and angelic when they sleep, Sasuke looked like crap. Well… a girlish, pretty piece of crap that is. His eyebrows were furrowed in some unknown emotion and his face gave off the fact that he was, indeed, very uncomfortable. I tipped my head to the side, studying him closer. His pale skin looked even whiter than usual, like he had been up the entire night. I blinked. If he was really this tired, why hadn't he just stayed home. Kami knows he needed the sleep judging by his appearance.

I was brought out of my trance by a groaning noise from the slowly awakening Uchiha.

"Nng…" he mumbled unattractively. I smiled, leaning my face in towards his until we were inches apart.

"Morning Sasu-kun!" His eyes snapped open and, upon seeing the close proximity of our faces, nearly broke his head from slamming himself back into the tree. I laughed joyously and sprung up onto my feet.

"You ready to spar, _Sasu-kun_?" I could visibly see Sasuke cringe. Oh, ho ho, today was going to be fun!

----------------------

"Sasuke?" I poked the soundly sleeping boy, hoping to rouse him from his sleep. "Saaasssuuukkkeee?" Still no answer. It was like talking to the dead… or Shino. Either way, it wasn't very interesting having a one sided conversation with yourself. It was actually quite funny, the way Sasuke had basically dropped to the ground at the end of our fight. Even though I won this spar, I don't consider it a real point. I mean, the guy was practically sleepwalking. But still, a win was a win and I wasn't complaining. So now, here I was, still sitting by the stupid Uchiha's side, waiting for him to wake up… which didn't seem like it was going to happen in the near furture. So, instead of sitting there and doing absulutely nothing, I decided to review on the needs to repay Kiba and Shino. There was the whole 'admitting feelings' thing, which I was _so_ not looking forward to. And then there was the kiss.

I glanced down at the sleeping Sasuke, an idea forming in my head. If I kissed him while he was asleep… it wouldn't exactly be forcing him to. I mean, he wouldn't be protesting, would he? So, what was the harm in bending the rules just a little bit… so long as I didn't tell Kiba. Just so that I get this stupid kiss thing over with.

I glanced around the field, finding it empty. Over the course of our fight, we had somehow migrated to the area partly secluded by the forest. Sure, it wasn't the most well hidden place, but it would work just to keep me hidden until I… finished my task.

Quickly, before he were to wake up or someone were to chance walking passed, I leaned in towards his face, pressing my lips hastily to his. I stayed there for a while, finding it oddly hard to pull away at the moment. His lips were so warm and soft. I thought that they would be like his personality, cold and stiff, like there was no real life in them.

And then… the strangest thing happened… A warm, shaking hand was placed on the back of my neck as the apparently awake boy that layed beneath me began… _kissing me back_. His lips applied a small amount of pressure and it was a bit shaky, clumsy, like he was hesitant, but you could still feel it. I stood stock-still from shock, my eyes staring wide-eyed at Sasuke. What the hell was going on?

Sasuke, obviously taking the fact that I hadn't moved away yet as a positive sign, began kissing me with more ferver. His hand gripped tighter on the back of my head, snaking up into my hair where his fingertips ran through my golden locks. I couldn't move… I just… this must be a dream. I must be sleeping now. Yes, sleeping, I'm at home, still in my bed, having the worst dream… no, nightmare… that I've ever had in my life. This just… I mean…

My thoughts were pulled to a stop when something smooth and _wet_ passed over my bottom lip. I opened my mouth to say something to stop Sasuke, but instead found his tongue… tangled with mine. He was frenching me. My one and only best friend… was frenching me. Oh, god… and the bet… this was not good. And…

I'd never felt so invaded in my life.

**Sorry this is late. I just wasn't in the mood for writing lately… don't ask why. I was just too happy to do anything about it. I had a daaaate! xD yea, I'm happy. Anyway, the next chapter will be up… sometime. I don't know when. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.**


	3. Author's Note

Hey guys

I don't want you to think I've abandoned you all. I'm not exactly at home. In fact, right now, I'm in a cyber café in France! How cool is that? Anyway, I will be updating my stories as soon as I get home. Most of them are done, I just don't have the files here in France with me. So yes. I'm sorry for taking so long.

With love,

Kimi


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